Dalai Lama Making Visit to Bloomington

InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet will travel to Bloomington for a six-day visit this month. The visit will include a three-day educational program at the IU Auditorium and a public talk in Assembly Hall. He also will participate in an interfaith ceremony that will be broadcast live on cable television.

Bloomington, Ind. -- His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, will present a public talk, "Compassion: the Source of Peace," on Oct. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m., in Assembly Hall at Indiana University Bloomington.

The public address is part of a six-day visit sponsored by the Tibetan Cultural Center and Kumbum Chamtse Ling Temple, both of Bloomington. The visit will include a three-day educational program, scheduled for Oct. 24-26 at the IU Auditorium, during which the Dalai Lama will teach from Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment . He also will participate in an interfaith ceremony on Oct. 23 at St. Paul's Catholic Center. The interfaith ceremony will be broadcast live on cable television and will be rebroadcast on WTIU the following week.

The winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama has been recognized worldwide for his message of compassion and tolerance, his promotion of human values and inter-religious understanding, and his focus on peace through non-violent conflict resolution. On Oct. 17, he will receive the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights and religious understanding.

"I have had the privilege of participating in four of the Dalai Lama's visits to Bloomington. Each time I have been impressed by the warmth of his personality and by his charismatic presence," said Patrick O'Meara, IU vice president for international affairs. "IU is indeed fortunate to have a world leader of this significance on the campus, and I hope that our students and faculty, as well as the broader Bloomington community, will be drawn to this man of peace. His message of compassion has never been more important."

In addition to the Tibetan Cultural Center, which was founded in 1979 by IU Professor Emeritus Thubten Norbu -- the Dalai Lama's eldest brother -- and Kumbum Chamtse Ling Temple, the public talk is being sponsored in partnership with IU's offices of the president, vice president for international affairs and provost, the IU Foundation and the city of Bloomington.

IU President Michael A. McRobbie said it was noteworthy that the Dalai Lama will come to Bloomington immediately after receiving the Congressional Gold Medal.

"The medal is in recognition of a lifetime advocacy for peace and human understanding. It is particularly significant that he will be coming to the university because of IU's deep international connections," McRobbie said. "Indiana University has one of the preeminent centers for teaching and research on Tibetan language and culture.

"For nearly half a century, Professor Norbu -- the Dalai Lama's brother -- has been a faculty member at IU. Norbu and his colleagues have been responsible for IU's national and international preeminence in these areas. I personally look forward to greeting His Holiness," McRobbie added.

The 14th Dalai Lama was born on July 6, 1935, in the Tibetan village of Taktser. In accordance with tradition, he was recognized at age two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama. The dalai lamas are manifestations of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, called Chenrezig, who chose to reincarnate to serve humankind. The name "dalai lama" is a combination of Tibetan and Mongolian terms meaning "Ocean of Wisdom."

For the Dalai Lama's talk, Gold Circle tickets -- located on Court Level of Assembly Hall and closest to the Dalai Lama -- will cost $60. Other general admission tickets are $30 for adults, and $15 for IU and college students and those under age 18. Children under three years of age will be admitted free.

To purchase tickets or for more ticket information, call the IU Athletics box office at 812-855-4006 or Ticketmaster at 812-333-9955. Or visit the Web site at: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05003F0AF9258DDB?artistid=714781&majorcatid=10005&minorcatid=104.

Extra security measures will be in place at Assembly Hall that day. Those attending are being asked to arrive by 1 p.m. to pass through security. Large items, including backpacks, large handbags and tote bags will not be permitted.

Tickets for the three-day educational program are available from the IU Auditorium box office at 812-855-1103, tickets@indiana.edu or its Web site at www.IUAuditorium.com. Tickets for all three days will cost $260 and will include tickets to the public lecture at Assembly Hall.

The Interfaith Prayer Service on Oct. 23 will be broadcast live at 11 a.m. on WTIU's cable channel, TIU2, which airs on Channel 17 on Bloomington Insight Cable. The service will air twice more on WTIU on Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 4 at 2:30 p.m.

The non-profit Tibetan center is located on 108 acres in Bloomington. It has a Buddhist temple -- the Kumbum Chamtse Ling -- a cultural building, two residences, four retreat cottages, and two Tibetan chortens, symbols of the enlightened mind. Its mission is to foster and preserve Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist cultures in the United States, to provide Buddhist teachings in the Bloomington area and promote interfaith harmony.